Also 7 spel. [Related to SPELL v.3, and perh. directly representing OE. ʓespelia substitute (cf. spala SPALE sb.1).]
1. A set of persons taking a turn of work in order to relieve others; a relay, relief-gang or shift. Now rare.
1602. Carew, Cornwall, 10 b. In most places, their toyle is so extreame, as they cannot endure it aboue foure houres in a day, but are succeeded by spels.
1626. P. Nichols, Drake Revived, 29–30. Rowing in the eddy … by spels, without ceasing, each Company their halfe houre glasse.
1627. Capt. Smith, Seaman’s Gram., ii. 9. In pumping they vse to take spels, that is, fresh men to releeue them.
1628–9. Digby, Voy. Medit. (Camden), 87. Yet I sent them an other fresh spell of men.
1851. G. Blyth, Remin. Mission. Life, II. 108. The fifteen or twenty persons who constituted the spell refused to go on.
2. A turn of work taken by a person or set of persons in relief of another.
a. 1625. Nomenclator Navalis (Harl. MS. 2301), s.v., As when they pump a hundred strokes,… they call it a spell.
1626. Capt. Smith, Accid. Yng. Sea-men, 30. To row, a spell, hold-water, trim the boate.
1644. Manwayring, Seaman’s Dict., 79. At a Chaine-Pump, the Spels goe by Glasses.
1683. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., Printing, xxiv. ¶ 15. The First now takes his spell at Pulling: for the First and Second take their spell of Pulling and Beating an agreed number of Tokens.
1769. Falconer, Dict. Marine (1780), s.v., Such are the spells, to the hand-lead in sounding; to the pump;… and to steer the ship; which last is generally called the trick.
1838. Holloway, Prov. Dict., Spell.… A turn, as one workman says to another:—‘now you take a spell.’
1849. Cupples, Green Hand, xi. (1856), 112. I stays aboard the brig, works my spell in her, an’ takes my trick at the hellum.
1886. Stevenson, Kidnapped, xvi. The men gave way … with a good will, the passengers taking spells to help them.
b. To give a spell, to relieve another by taking a turn of work.
1750. Blanckley, Nav. Expos., 156. To give a Spell, is all one as to say, Work in such a one’s Room.
1825. J. Neal, Bro. Jonathan, II. xviii. 138. One or two … were continually offering to give him a ‘spell,’—or a ‘lift’—or a ‘turn’ [at counting his money].
1829. B. Hall, Travels in N. A., I. 188. A poor old negro … begged to be taken in, and offered to give me a spell when I became tired.
c. Without article, in phr. spell and spell (about), spell for spell; to keep or take spell.
1797. S. James, Narr. Voy., 202. They re-bailed out our boat … spell and spell about.
1799. Hull Advertiser, 27 July, 4/2. His faithful companions … worked incessantly (spell and spell) for nine days.
1828. Life Planter Jamaica, 36. Plato takes spell after him. Ibid. Langbey was keeping spell, or in other words, had charge of the negroes employed in preparing the sugar.
1837. Marryat, Dog-fiend, liv. We plied the pumps, ’twas spell and spell.
1855. [Robinson], Whitby Gloss., s.v., Spell for spell is fair play.
3. A continuous course or period of some work, occupation or employment; a turn or bout at something. Also without const.
1706. E. Ward, Wooden World Diss. (1708), 34. He … believes there is no more Sin in taking a Spell with a Whore, than in pumping a leaky Vessel.
1804. Nelson, 4 Nov., in Nicolas, Disp. (1846), VI. 257. The Termagant Sloop will be going to Lisbon—she has had a long spell of service.
1824. Southey, in C. C. Southey, Life (1850), V. 187. I have lately taken a pleasant spell at it, and have something more than a volume ready.
1857. Hughes, Tom Brown, I. ii. The closeness of the men in action to one another … makes a spell at back-swording a very noble sight.
1885. Manch. Exam., 18 March, 5/3. Twenty-five years without a holiday except on Sunday is certainly a remarkable spell of assiduous labour.
b. Austr. An interval or period of repose or relaxation; a rest.
1852. Mundy, Antipodes (1857), 83. Your carriage horses will be all the better for a ‘spell,’ (a rest).
1865. Tucker, Austr. Story, i. 84. The only recompense was … to light his pipe and have a ‘spell.’
1900. H. Lawson, On Track, 107. He did not go back to work that night; he took a spell.
c. Spell oh! (or ho!), used as a call or signal, usu. to rest or cease working; also = prec.
1837. Marryat, Dog-fiend, I. ix. 94. ‘Come now,’ said Coble, tossing off his glass, ‘spell oh!—let’s have a song while they take their breath.’
1841. R. H. Dana, Seaman’s Man., 124. Spell ho!… used as an order or request to be relieved at work by another.
1891. Morris, News fr. Nowhere, 51. So he stayed his pick and sang out, ‘Spell ho, mates! here are neighbours want to get past.’
1900. H. Lawson, On Track, 97. Bill … was having a spell-oh under the cask when the white rooster crowed.
4. A period or space of time of indefinite length; usu. with adjs. denoting duration, as long, short, etc.
1728. Morgan, Algiers, II. iv. 265. The Corsairs met with a brisk Reception and were warmly entertained for a good Spell.
1767. Gibbon, Lett. to Holroyd, 29 April. I hope to take a pretty long spell in town.
1775. Romans, Florida, App. 56. Those unlucky persons … have lain that long spell wearing and tearing vessels and rigging.
1836. Marryat, Midsh. Easy, xxvi. A hope that Mr. Easy would take his share of the duty, now that he had had such a spell on shore.
1856. Mayne Reid, Hunters’ Feast, xxii. 184. It only halted a short spell, and then, with a loud roar, it run up to the carcass, and sniffed at it.
1870. Miss Bridgman, R. Lynne, I. xii. 184. Thirty years! It is a good spell off a man’s life.
b. A period having a certain character or spent in a particular way.
1830. Southey, Lett. (1856), IV. 174–5. The very sight of you, and their faith when you felt their pulses, would go far towards giving these poor girls a spell of better health, than is their lot at present.
1885. ‘Mrs. Alexander,’ At Bay, i. Then came a spell of wandering, of high play, of rage for costly excitement, which … beggared him in a few years.
1885. R. W. Dixon, Hist. Ch. Eng., xix. III. 330. After a grievous spell of eighteen months on board the French galleys.
c. By spells, at intervals, now and again.
1788. Massachusetts Spy, 4 Sept., 3/2. It had … rained by spells for three days before.
1821. in W. Cobbett, Rur. Rides (1885), I. 2. To-day the fog came by spells.
1854. Thoreau, Walden, xiii. I had an old axe … with which by spells in winter days … I played about the stumps.
1883. M. Howland, in Harper’s Mag., March, 602/1. All day by ‘spells’ I have been out helping Jack make the garden.
d. For a spell, for a time. In U.S. without prep.; also a spell ago, some time ago.
(a) 1834. [Seba Smith], Lett. J. Downing, xxx. (1835), 208. Mahogany was as cheap as pine boards was a spell ago.
c. 1850. ‘Dow Jr.,’ in Jerdan, Yankee Hum. (1853), 88. That woman who broomed me out of the house a spell ago.
(b) 1834. [Seba Smith], Lett. J. Downing, xxvii. (1835), 179. So I whistled Yankee Doodle a spell.
1848. Lowell, Biglow P., Poems 1890, II. 11. He stood a spell on one foot fust, Then stood a spell on tother.
1884. Sophie Swett, in Harper’s Mag., Feb., 410/2. He tried doctorin’ a spell.
(c) 1862. Trollope, N. Amer., I. 186. I wish those masons … could be driven to the labour market of Western America for a spell.
1890. Melbourne Argus, 7 June, 4/1. I, having been sick, was told by an honest and sensible doctor to pitch physic to the dogs, and get out in the bush and work for a spell.
5. A continuous period or stretch of a specified kind of weather.
1728. T. Smith, Jrnl. (1849), 265. For several days past, there has been a spell of comfortable weather. Ibid. (1733), 266. This whole week has been a spell of warm weather.
1775. Washington, Lett. to J. Reed (1852), 32. The setting in of a severe spell of cold weather, and a considerable fall of snow.
1808. Southey, in C. C. Southey, Life (1850), III. 163. We are now having a spell of wind and rain.
1840. R. H. Dana, Bef. Mast, iii. We have now had a long ‘spell’ of fine weather.
1897. Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc., Dec., 663. If a spell of cold wind … should prevail.
attrib. 1868. Pall Mall Gaz., 28 July, 4/1. On the supposition that such ‘spell-weather,’ as the Americans call it, is to last for ever.
b. With adjs., as cold, hot, dry, wet, etc.
1740. T. Smith, Jrnl. (1849), 268. I believe no man ever knew so winter-like a spell so early in the year.
1797. T. Jefferson, Writ. (1859), IV. 157. You wish to know the state of the air here during the late cold spell.
1817–8. Cobbett, Resid. U.S. (1822), 286. The hot spells as well as the cold spells, seldom last more than three days.
1860. Maury, Phys. Geog. Sea, iv. § 241. The phenomena of cold and warm ‘spells’ are often observed in the United States.
1887. Boston (Mass.) Jrnl., 23 Aug., 5. Everybody found smoking on the streets … during the dry spell was liable to be arrested.
6. U.S. A period of being indisposed, out of sorts, or irritable; an attack or fit of illness or nervous excitement.
1856. Kane, Arct. Expl., II. iii. 47. An attack of partial epilepsy; one of those strange indescribable spells, fits, seizures, whatever name the jargon gives them, which indicate deep disturbance.
1869. Mrs. Stowe, Oldtown Folks, xvi. When Hepsy does get beat out she has spells, and she goes on awful, and they last day arter day.
1889. A. C. Gunter, That Frenchman! xvii. 210. Oh! blues, hysteria, headache, tantrums—any ill that’s particularly feminine, we call spells in America.
